WEDDINGStone & TracieEland's Valley, Dullstroom

Stone and Tracie’s Dullstroom Wedding

Tracie (Indian Princess) and Stone (US Marine) ‘eloped’ with a small group of friends, along with the howling wind, on a icy afternoon in at Eland’s Valley in Dullstroom. It was dramatic, adventurous and remarkable, just like the two of them. Against all odds (sickness, the cold, long distance, Tracie breaking her shoe walking down the aisle) love found them, kept them and brought them together. Their story is an exceptional and hysterical one. We are so grateful Tracie wrote it on their wedding invite:

It’s been three years since he mistook her for a cab driver in Lima.

A chance encounter. Two lonesome travelers, admittedly a little desperate for company. Also, she was lost. Perpetually. He was convinced she’d gone out to buy butter in Joburg one day and had been trying to find her way home since. He couldn’t leave her alone in Peru. She would die in the wild. A few yards from the main road. So he stayed with her and made sure she didn’t die.

When they parted ways a few weeks later, they didn’t know if they’d ever see each other again. She thought they had an epic love. He thought she was crazy. But there were lion cubs to play with in South Africa. And biltong. So that settled it. He was going to visit her.

They were an unlikely pair, you see. They came from different worlds. They didn’t like each other’s music. Worst of all, he spelt “colour” without the “u”. But against all odds, they found themselves hurtling back and forth across oceans to be with each other; swapping cities and time zones; defying deployments, government bureaucracy, the status quo and bad Skype connections.

Now, they’re finally making it permanent. Turns out they have an epic love after all. She says she told him so. He agrees. She is, after all, every childhood dream of his come true. Jasmine from Aladdin. Pocahontas. Tiger Lily from Peter Pan.

As much as they’ve enjoyed the adventure of chasing each other down across borders, they have a sneaking suspicion that they’ll enjoy being in the same city even more.